


Confessions

by tchele



Category: NCIS
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Pre-Relationship, Spoilers for “Mona Lisa”, Spoilers for “She”, post “Mona Lisa”, spoilers for “High Tide”
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-04
Updated: 2019-04-04
Packaged: 2020-01-04 20:32:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18351188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tchele/pseuds/tchele
Summary: In the aftermath of “Mona Lisa” and Nick and Ellie’s crumbling relationship Ellie needs a favor. To fulfill a promise made to Gibbs in “Mona Lisa” to clean out Ziva’s private office. To accomplish this she needs Nick’s help.





	Confessions

Saturday morning

Under normal circumstances Ellie Bishop would not be standing outside Nick Torres’ apartment at seven thirty am on a Saturday, especially after the week they had had. However she needed a favor and she knew that it wasn’t something she could ask McGee to do, and it felt wrong to ask someone who wasn’t part of the team. She and Nick weren’t on the best of terms, but she had given Gibbs her word she would handle this for him. She took a deep breathe and knocked on his door, coffee in hand. A moment later the door was yanked open by a sleepy Nick, a sleepy and shirtless Nick.

“What are you doing here Ellie?” Nick asked.

“Well you wouldn’t answer my call and I need your help. I brought you coffee.” Ellie answered.

“What do you need?” Nick asked as he ushered her into his apartment.

“Do you remember that private office of Ziva’s we found? Well it needs emptied out. Gibbs was supposed to do it, but he hasn’t and the owner keeps calling me. I talked to him about it on Tuesday and told him I’d handle it, but I need help. I can’t ask McGee because it would be just as hard on him as Gibbs and it felt wrong to ask someone who isn’t part of the team. Will you please help me? I know you are mad at me, but this isn’t for me. It’s for Gibbs.” Ellie replied.

“Give me ten minutes.” Nick answered before turning to get dressed.

Ten minutes later Nick returned dressed and ready to go. They silently made their way to Ellie’s truck. Soon they had arrived at the office and began packing up the remaining journals. Once that task was completed they took a break and sat on the Daybed.

“Thank you for helping me. Like I said I know you are mad at me, but I really appreciate the help.” Ellie began.

“I’m not mad at you.” Nick grumbled.

“You sure about that? You won’t answer my calls, you barely speak to me. Seems like you are mad.” Ellie replied.

“I’m disappointed. You don’t trust me and I’m trying to figure out how to have a relationship of any kind without trust.” Nick said.

“I do trust you. I trust you more than anyone. I’m just in a weird place right now. I have been since I found this place.” Ellie confessed.

“Why? What is it about this place?” Nick asked. “Is this still about wishing you had known her and learned from her?”

Ellie paused before she answered. “Ok if this doesn’t prove that I trust you nothing will. Ziva’s alive.” Ellie said.

“What are you talking about?” Nick asked.

“When the case was over I went to the hospital to read Hill the letter we found from Morgan’s mother, but when I got there the letter was already there and he said she had already read it to him and told him she would haunt his dreams.” Ellie answered.

“How does that mean Ziva’s alive?” Nick interrupted.

“Let me finish. When I left the hospital something drew me here and on that desk, underneath the scarf that had been hanging on the hook, there was a note addressed to me in Ziva’s handwriting. She asked me to keep her secret for the safety of her family, and I have kept it a secret, until now. So I DO trust you Nick, more than anyone.” Ellie replied.

“You didn’t tell Gibbs or McGee?” Nick asked.

“No, until this moment I hadn’t told a soul.” Ellie answered.

“Why me? Why now?” Nick asked.

“I told you, because I do trust you, and keeping this secret is too much. You told me you wanted me to have faith in you. This is me proving to you I do have faith in you. Even though I’m doing exactly what she asked me not to do.” Ellie answered.

“She knew the rules, right? Doesn’t Rule Four cover this?” Nick asked.

“I guess so, I’m just tired of secrets. I can’t sleep and you being mad at me just made it all worse.” Ellie confessed.

“I told you I wasn’t mad at you.” Nick replied with a sigh.

“Then why haven’t you talked to me in two days?” Ellie asked.

Nick shrugged, not ready to have this conversation. “Why don’t I go put these boxes in the truck and then we can see what is left. Where are we taking this stuff?” He asked.

“My place. I’m going to store them until Gibbs decides what to do with them, or Tony comes back and I can offer them to him.” Ellie answered.

“Maybe we can read some of them together? Might give us some understanding about Gibbs.” Nick suggested. “What do you say, B? Get some takeout and spread out in front of your fireplace later and read some?”

“I like that idea. I especially like that you aren’t avoiding me anymore.” Ellie answered.

“I’m glad you brought me here.” Nick said as he picked up a box and moved it to the truck.

Once they had all the boxes loaded in the truck and informed Ziva’s landlord they would be back in the morning for the rest Ellie drove Nick to his apartment. He grabbed a change of clothes and his own Jeep before he followed her to her place. They worked together and got the boxes out of the truck and into Ellie’s apartment. Nick took a shower while Ellie ordered food for delivery and Nick waited for the food while Ellie showered. 

Soon they were settled in Ellie’s living room with the boxes surrounding them while they ate Chinese food right out of the white paper cartons. Ellie was engrossed in the journals, but Nick was mostly watching Ellie. She set the journal down to stretch and caught him staring at her.

“What?” Ellie asked.

“Just thinking.” Nick answered.

“About what?” Ellie asked.

“If we are going to end up like them, fighting what we feel because of his rules.” Nick replied boldly.

“Do you want to break his rules?” Ellie asked quietly, never imagining she’d be having this conversation today.

“When I see these journals and the way she wrote about how she felt about her partner? Yeah, I do. She loved him, she admitted it to herself over and over but didn’t let herself act on it because she didn’t want to break the rules and disappoint him. The last few days have been hell without my best friend and reading these words? It reminded me of all the time I’ve wasted.” Nick confessed.

“What do you mean?” Ellie asked.

“I love you, I’m in love with you. I’ve always been attracted to you, but I knew for sure it was more when we went undercover. That jerk Donnie knew it too. Every time I wanted to punch a guy out for leering at you, or got jealous of a guy you were dating I remembered the rules, but I’m tired of his Rule getting in the way. So I’m putting myself out there. I think the reason you thinking I could have killed that girl hurt so badly was because I don’t ever want you to think I’m capable of something like that. I want a family some day, a family with you, and the idea that you didn’t trust me? It broke my heart. I could handle Gibbs or even McGee asking me those questions, but coming from you? It was too much.” Nick confessed. “Now the question you need to ask yourself is how you feel, and maybe I should go before I do something else I shouldn’t.”

Nick moved off the couch and deposited his glass in the sink and moved to put the takeout away when he felt Ellie behind him. “Stay.” She pleaded. 

“If I stay I’m going to do what I’ve imagined doing since that day at the marina when we were undercover. Are you ok with that?” Nick asked. “Everything will change.”

Instead of answering Ellie leaned in like she did that day over a year earlier and brought her lips to Nick’s. Only this time Nick returned the kiss with everything in him. His hands came to rest on her hips and he pulled her closer. When they came up for air Ellie spoke. “Everything already has changed. It changed when you said you were in love with me and want a future with me.” She whispered.

“What does this mean for his rules?” Nick asked.

“It means I’m in love with you too and what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.” Ellie answered as she leaned in for another kiss.

Fin~

**Author's Note:**

> I both loved and hated Mona Lisa. It gave me lots of inspiration but it also frustrated me with how broken Nick was, and Ellie too to some extent. So I wanted a fix-it, so much I wrote two lol. I only caught the line about Ellie promising to take care of the office on a second viewing of the episode and once I finished my other oneshot this begged to be written. I hope it is enjoyable and I do promise to resume working on my WiPs, most likely Beginnings, very soon.


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